July 28~ Week 2 in Huancayo

This little puppy died two days later after I took this pic...got hit by a car :(

Translated: "What does the town need..."

Week 2 In Huancayo!

My companion and I have 3 baptisms this Saturday and I am super excited! This past week in Peru was called Santiago, and today is their Independecnce Day. SO for the stories.. this week there was a bunch of drunk people all over the street.. one of them kissed my hand, and another came up and shook my hand and wouldn't let go so I pushed him off me and started walking away, and then he reached into his coat pocket and I legit thought he was pulling out a gun so me and my companion in Spanish started yelling "Tranquillo!" (Chill) and it ended up just being a phone... man, did my heart skip a beat! Got bit by a dog this week but luckily I was wearing a sweater..and almost came close a 2nd time but my comp chucked his scripture case at one of them and I started like kicking at the other one! hahaha  So anyways those were some of my stories for this week!  

I finished the Book of Mormon this week! And I want to share my favorite part of the Book of Mormon! It's about Faith, Hope, and Charity. Its in Moroni Chapter 7, I'll paraphrase the scriptures but I recommend looking them up!! SO-Faith and Hope are an anchor to our souls (Ether 12:4) and if we have faith and hope then we are always doing good works, but what is faith?  Faith is having a perfect HOPE IN things that we cant see but believe (Alma 32:21) ..and what should we have Hope in? We should have hope in Jesus Christ and the power of his Atonement and eternal LIFE! And why should we have hope and faith in Jesus Christ...because Christ said if we have faith in him, we can have power to do anything (Moroni 7:33)...  and remember we can always show our faith and hope through... charity, which is the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:47) SO always remember to love everyone even though it may be hard and to always continue to have faith and hope in this life..and when life gets hard just always remember God does miracles when we have faith..and we receive no witness of it until after the trial of our faith (Ether 12)...Christ will always be there for us when times and trials happen in our lives...and our faith and hope is tested.. Remember in the words of Christ in John 14... I will not leave you comfortless.. I will come to you!  And to continually show your charity to everyone!! IT helps! I know what I am doing right now may be hard, and tough, but I know everyone is this entire world needs to have Hope and Faith in something, and that is why I love being a missionary because I can give them and help them obtain this faith and hope! I love you all and have a good week!!!! I have Peruvian music stuck in my head 24/7 (because it plays 24/7) because of Santiago!! The week to show their love for all of God's creations here in Peru! SO go listen to some American music for me! Love you all!

Love Elder Baca

July 22~ First Email from Huancayo

HUANCAYO

MY FIRST EMAIL IN THE FIELD! 

Wow, so I have so much to tell everyone! SO my first area is in Huancayo, it's called Nuevo Horizante!  And my first companion is Elder M.  from Ecuador! 

This first week has been crazy, and definitely the most humbling experience ever... and continues to be!  So my second day (*first full day) I had the opportunity to invite three kids to be baptized ages 8,10,12.. and they said yes! They are getting baptized on August 2nd and I'm super excited!  

Me and my companion have been doing work!  I just love talking to everyone about this gospel, it truly is the best thing ever!  I  love just being super outgoing even though I can't speak Spanish perfectly.  My Spanish is coming along really well though and I can understand and speak it better everyday!  I'm telling myself in 1 month I will be able to speak it SUPER well!  I have a ton of stories that I write in my journal everyday, so after 2 years I can share all of them!  But there's too much to tell haha!  Everything here is really poor, and the people are really humble and willing to learn about how their lives can be blessed through this Gospel! 

Me and my companion live on the 2nd floor of a member's house and she  cooks for us as well! The people of Huancayo are really humble, and I am excited to be here for the next 3 months or maybe more!  But there are wild dogs everywhere ..everywhere and a lot of homeless people as well! What I have noticed this past week is just how our message of hope, eternal families, and most importantly the love God and Jesus Christ have for us..really can change people's lives and more importantly..anyone's life.  And I know without a doubt the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has changed my life, and everything about it has!  I really hope everyone always counts their blessings; I wish I would have more when I was back in California because this is definitely the most humbling experience ever!  

Well I love you all!  And am always keeping my loved ones in my prayers! Hope you all have an amazing week! PERU is beautiful!

~Elder Baca

July 9~ Fourth of July in the CCM and Love is Power

Fourth of July!!

Elder D. who lives across the hall, going to Cusco in a couple weeks

Hey Everyone!! 

So nothing too eventful happened this week besides the Fourth of July!! Sorry but my English is already getting bad hahah! Anyways, they decked out the cafeteria with American stuff and served us American food!! So I can't believe I am leaving the CCM next Tuesday (July 15)!  I am so excited and I will email a week from Monday to let everyone know what is going on! Love everyone and thanks for all the support!!  It's crazy I have already been out for almost a month and a half! Remember, "Love is Power" .. .so always try to love everyone because you never know how much of an effect it can have on someone!  I'm SO excited to finally head out into the field and also a good luck to Elder Tasker who leaves for  the MTC in a week!  I get to go proselyting in his mission again one last time this Saturday before I take off!!  Have a good week everyone! I'll have more eventful stuff to write about in a couple weeks, don't worry!

Love

Elder Ryan Baca

HEy mom!! So I hope you haven't sent that package yet with bug spray because I just found it in my suitcase this week!!  It was hiding!! But can you call the bank and tell them I'm in Peru.  I'm almost out of cash!!  Yah, they are giving us these altitude pills to take before we leave (for Huancayo).  So I leave super early Tuesday morning (July 15) and I don't think I have a P-day until the following Monday!!  But I'm so excited!  I'll let you know how everything goes!!  Love you mom!

July 1~ Proselyting in Lima Central

All in our soccer jerseys!

My favorite CCM teacher, he likes to give me extra ice cream!

Elder L.

Elder S.

Buenos Tardes Everyone! 

This week was filled with a ton of fun stuff! So first off, I was a district leader for the first 3 weeks and then got released ( they switch every 3 weeks) but then I just got called to be the Zone Leader over Zone 1 in the MTC!!  Pretty exciting (we have 2 zones now because there are 120 missionaries as of tomorrow).  SO I'm super excited for that! 

But Saturday was pretty crazy going proselyting again!  I went to a new area in the Lima Central Mission (smallest and most dangerous mission in Peru- goodluck London ;) btw) but we literally just get dropped off at this church that looks like a prison it's so gated off, and we get assigned a companion and a member.. and then we go teach less actives or just contact on the street! So I was paired up with one of  the new missionaries. I was super excited for that because I would have to do a lot of the  talking! But anyways, we were walking around trying to find these less active houses and were asking directions from this one lady... but instead of getting directions she invited us in!  It was her and her husband and this little 2 year old girl and this little boy. AND it was such a humbling experience because inside this house they had one broken couch and a table ... and that was it. SO, we sat there and taught this family the entire plan of salvation ( with the help of a member) but still... it was so amazing to bring this type of knowledge to a family that literally has nothing. We invited them all to church so I hope they came! The next lady we talked to her daughter in law was in jail, so we taught her about how the HG can comfort her and invited her to church.. and then as we were walking down this way ghetto street I see these 3 teenagers walking down the street ... all decked out with skinny jeans and Vans and DIAMOND clothing and like CALI clothes..,looked like something straight out of high school- it was so funny!!  So we went up to them and were like talking about how everyone wears those types of clothes in California, so they felt super cool.  So random!  So it was cool sharing the gospel to them! 

Then we taught this super old single guy...and all he would do is just SMILE the whole time we were talking with him, and I swear he didn't have any teeth.. and I don't think he even had a clue that there was a bat in his house that kept flying up against a window making this super loud sound, but we talked to him about faith! It was so fun walking around and just talking to everyone about this gospel! What I realized from this past week is that this gospel, and all of its teaching... really apply and can help out ANYONE!  Any type of situation or problem...can be helped by a principle within this church!  That's why I love being a missionary, because it really is amazing helping out these poor, humble people... and giving them something that can make their life happy and filled with hope! Also my two 'fake' investigators (who me and my comp have been teaching) I invited them to be baptized!  I can't wait to actually do that to real people, it will be amazing!  I love Being a missionary!  Brings me such happiness!  Love you all!  Have a good week!

CHOW! ( Peruvian way to say goodbye)

Elder Baca